Application control using a gesture based trigger

PRIORITY CLAIM

0001This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/597,797, filed Oct. 9, 2019, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,884,616, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/169,288, filed on May 31, 2016, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,474,353, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

0002The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to control of an application through a display device and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to control of an application through a display device using gesture based triggers.

BACKGROUND

0003Users can interact with applications executing on mobile devices through touchscreen displays of the mobile devices. The touchscreen displays have limited screen size, and only a limited number of user interface objects, such as input and output elements (e.g., on-screen keyboard), menus, and other user interface objects (e.g., checkboxes, text entry fields), can be displayed on a given touchscreen display at any one time. These limitations make controlling applications through mobile devices difficult and can overall hamper user experience. Further, in some cases, some users may be limited to manipulating their respective mobile devices with only one available hand, which further worsens user experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

0004Some example embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

0005<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> is a block diagram illustrating a networked system, according to some example embodiments.

0006<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> is a block diagram showing example components provided within the post series client application system of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, according to some example embodiments.

0007<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for using a gesture based trigger in a subscription process, according to some example embodiments.

0008<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for executing the gesture based trigger, according to some example embodiments.

0009<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for executing the gesture based trigger, according to some example embodiments.

0010<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> is an interaction diagram illustrating network interactions between a client device and an application server, according to example embodiments.

0011<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 7A-K</figref> show user interfaces illustrating use of a gesture based trigger, according to example embodiments.

0012<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref> is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for using a gesture based trigger in a sample request process, according to some example embodiments.

0013<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref> is an interaction diagram illustrating network interactions between a client device and an application server, according to example embodiments.

0014<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 10A-I</figref> show user interfaces illustrating use of a gesture based trigger, according to example embodiments.

0015<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref> is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine, according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable medium and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

0016In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of various example embodiments of the present subject matter. It will be evident, however, to those skilled in the art, that the example embodiments of the present subject matter may be practiced without these specific details.

0017In various example embodiments, a computing device, such as a mobile computing device having a touchscreen display, can display an electronic document having a first portion and a second portion. The axis or direction of navigation of the electronic document corresponds to the orientation of the first and second portions; e.g., an electronic document having a first portion above a second portion defines a vertical axis of navigation (e.g., scroll direction), as according to an example embodiment. When the electronic document is initially displayed on the client device, the first portion may be displayed and the second portion may lie out of view, not displayed. As mentioned, a user may make a swipe gesture, e.g., swipe up, on the touchscreen along the axis of navigation, in a scroll direction, causing the second portion to be displayed (e.g., the first portion scrolls up and out of view, and the second portion scrolls into view from the bottom of the touchscreen display).

0018The second portion includes a gesture trigger, such as a modification trigger, that is configured to, upon execution of the trigger, minimize or otherwise remove the electronic document from the touchscreen display. The gesture trigger may further be configured to, upon execution of the trigger, perform further actions, such as subscribing to a series of electronic documents or submitting a transaction. In an example embodiment, the gesture trigger is triggered when a user swipes along a direction of navigation, on the second portion, through the touchscreen display.

0019With reference to <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, an example embodiment of a high-level client-server-based network architecture <b>100</b> is shown. A network-based publishing system <b>104</b>, in the example form of a post publication system, provides server-side functionality via a network <b>102</b> (e.g., the Internet or wide area network (WAN)) to one or more client devices <b>106</b>. In some implementations, a user (e.g., user <b>199</b>) interacts with the network-based publishing system <b>104</b> using the client device <b>106</b>.

0020<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> illustrates, for example, client device <b>106</b> including a post series client application <b>110</b> through which user <b>199</b> may receive and view ephemeral posts and electronic documents, each of which may be part of a post series. A post series is a series of web posts generated by a third party server <b>108</b> or other users through their own respective client devices executing post series client applications. In some example embodiments, a post

0021series can be all posts from an individual user that user <b>199</b> can receive and display on client device <b>106</b>. The posts may be ephemeral and automatically be removed from display or deleted from client device <b>106</b> after a specified time. Similarly, electronic documents may also be part of a series in that they all come from the same source (e.g., same user, same publisher) or are otherwise identified as part of a specific series through a common identifier (e.g., a company name, post series name).

0022In various implementations, the client device <b>106</b> includes a computing device that includes at least a display and communication capabilities that provide access to the network-based publishing system <b>104</b> via the network <b>102</b>. The client device <b>106</b> includes, but is not limited to, a remote device, work station, computer, general purpose computer, Internet appliance, hand-held device, wireless device, portable device, wearable computer, cellular or mobile phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), smart phone, tablet, ultrabook, netbook, laptop, desktop, multi-processor system, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronic, game consoles, set-top box, network Personal Computer (PC), mini-computer, and so forth. In an example embodiment, the client device <b>106</b> includes one or more of a touch screen, accelerometer, gyroscope, biometric sensor, camera, microphone, Global Positioning System (GPS) device, and the like.

0023The client device <b>106</b> communicates with the network <b>102</b> via a wired or wireless connection. For example, one or more portions of the network <b>102</b> includes an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a Wireless Fidelity (WI-FI®) network, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) network, another type of network, or any suitable combination thereof.

0024As discussed above, in some example embodiments, the client device <b>106</b> includes one or more of the applications such as post series client application <b>110</b>. In some implementations, the post series client application <b>110</b> includes various components operable to present information to the user <b>199</b> and communicate with network-based publishing system <b>104</b> as discussed in further detail below.

0025The post series client application <b>110</b> may be implemented as a standalone application executed on top of the operating system of client device <b>106</b>, as according to some example embodiments. In some example embodiments, the post series client application <b>110</b> runs within a web client (e.g., browser) on the client device <b>106</b> to access the various systems of the networked system <b>104</b> via the web interface supported by a web server <b>116</b>. Similarly, according to some example embodiments, the post series client application <b>110</b> accesses the various services and functions provided by the network-based publishing system <b>104</b> via a programmatic interface provided by an Application Program Interface (API) server <b>114</b>.

0026Users (e.g., the user <b>199</b>) can include a person, a machine, or other means of interacting with the client device <b>106</b>. In some example embodiments, the user is not part of the network architecture <b>100</b>, but interacts with the network architecture <b>100</b> via the client device <b>106</b> or another means. For instance, the user provides input (e.g., touch screen input or alphanumeric input) to the client device <b>106</b> and the input is communicated to the network-based publishing system <b>104</b> via the network <b>102</b>. In this instance, the network-based publishing system <b>104</b>, in response to receiving the input from the user, communicates information to the client device <b>106</b> via the network <b>102</b> to be presented to the user. In this way, the user can interact with the network-based publishing system <b>104</b> using the client device <b>106</b>.

0027The API server <b>114</b> and the web server <b>116</b> are coupled to, and provide programmatic and web interfaces respectively to, one or more application server <b>118</b>. The application server <b>118</b> can host an electronic post publication system <b>124</b> that includes one or more modules or applications, each of which can be embodied as hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. The application server <b>118</b> is, in turn, shown to be coupled to one or more database servers <b>120</b> that facilitate access to one or more information storage repositories or database(s) <b>122</b>. In an example embodiment, the database(s) <b>122</b> are storage devices that store information to be posted (e.g., posts, electronic documents, series thereof) via the electronic post publication system <b>124</b>. The database(s) <b>122</b> store subscription information, payment information, inventory information, order information, and user information (e.g., user profile data, username/password, preferences of user <b>199</b>) to perform the operations discussed below.

0028Additionally, a post series generator app <b>128</b>, executing on third party server <b>108</b>, is shown as having programmatic access to the network-based publishing system <b>104</b> via the programmatic interface provided by the API server <b>114</b>. The post series generator app <b>128</b> is, according to some example embodiments, an application configured to publish posts (e.g., ephemeral posts) and electronic documents to the electronic post publication system <b>124</b> for publication to one or more post series client applications <b>110</b> of subscribing users.

0029Further, while the client-server-based network architecture <b>100</b> shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> employs a client-server architecture, the present subject matter is, of course, not limited to such an architecture, and can equally well find application in a distributed, or peer-to-peer, architecture system, for example. The various systems of the applications server(s) <b>118</b> (e.g., the electronic post publication system <b>124</b>) can also be implemented as standalone software programs, which do not necessarily have networking capabilities.

0030<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> illustrates a block diagram showing components in the post series client application <b>110</b>, according to some example embodiments. The components themselves are communicatively coupled (e.g., via appropriate interfaces) to each other and to various data sources, so as to allow information to be passed between the applications or so as to allow the applications to share and access common data. Furthermore, the components access one or more database(s) <b>122</b> via the database server <b>120</b>. To this end, the post series client application <b>110</b> includes an interface engine <b>200</b>, a display engine <b>205</b>, post series engine <b>210</b>, trigger engine <b>215</b>, and an action engine <b>220</b>, as according to an example embodiment.

0031The interface engine <b>200</b> is configured (e.g., by software) to interface the post series client application <b>110</b> with the client device <b>106</b>. In some example embodiments, the client device <b>106</b> implements a native operating system having a library of interface objects and look-and-feel specifications. For example, the client device <b>106</b> may be a mobile phone or smartphone, and the native operating system may be a mobile native operating system that can download applications or “apps” from an app store for local execution.

0032Users, such as user <b>199</b>, may interact with the downloaded apps through a touchscreen display of the client device <b>106</b>. In some example embodiments, the operating system of the client device <b>106</b> includes native functionality to receive user input and interpret user interactions through the touchscreen display. The native operating system may forward the interpreted user interactions to interface engine <b>200</b>, for example, when the user interaction involves selection or manipulation of objects in a user interface of the post series client application <b>110</b>. The interface engine <b>200</b> may receive the interpreted user interactions and complete operations in concert with the other engines of the post series client application <b>110</b>. Still, in some example embodiments, the interface engine <b>200</b> is configured to natively receive and interpret user interactions as gestures in place of the client device <b>106</b>; such as, for example, in implementations where the client device <b>106</b> does not include such native functionality.

0033The display engine <b>205</b> is responsible for displaying the user interface elements in conjunction with the other engines in the post series client application <b>110</b>. For example, in response to a user selecting (e.g., clicking, tapping, or tapping-and-holding) an icon for an electronic document, the display engine <b>205</b> may receive a gesture notification from the interface engine <b>200</b> that the electronic document icon has been selected and, in response, the display engine <b>205</b> may generate a display of the selected elements on the display of the client device <b>106</b>.

0034The post series engine <b>210</b> is responsible for managing the posts, which may include electronic documents or other types of posts, such as ephemeral posts. In some example embodiments, ephemeral posts have a smaller file size than electronic documents, though both electronic documents and ephemeral posts may be only temporarily accessible through the client device <b>106</b>, as discussed in further detail below. The electronic documents may have one or more portions (e.g., top portion, middle portion, bottom portion) that a user can scroll or navigate to along a direction of navigation; for example, where the electronic document has a total display size (e.g., pixel size) that is larger than the available screen size (e.g., pixel screen size) of the display screen of the client device <b>106</b>. In those implementations, the display engine <b>205</b> may receive one or more navigation gestures from the interface engine <b>200</b>. The navigation gestures may include one or more of the following: swipes, drag-and-hold in a direction, double tap on edge of document to navigate in the direction of the edge, and other navigation interactions. Responsive to the received navigation gestures, the display engine <b>205</b> may scroll or navigate to a portion of the electronic document that is not currently viewable or displayed on the display screen of the client device <b>106</b>.

0035The trigger engine <b>215</b> is responsible for managing the trigger actions of the post series client application <b>110</b>. In some example embodiments, the trigger engine <b>215</b> activates a trigger (e.g., a modification trigger), in response to portions of an electronic document being displayed. The trigger engine <b>215</b> is further configured to execute the trigger. The trigger specifies a function for handling by the action engine <b>220</b>. The function specifies one or more actions to be performed.

0036The action engine <b>220</b> is configured to perform one or more actions in response to the trigger engine <b>215</b> executing the trigger. In particular, according to at least one example embodiment, in executing the trigger, the trigger engine <b>215</b> specifies a function configured to perform different actions, such as terminating, closing, or minimizing the displayed electronic documented, creating a subscription request, and transmitting the subscription request. In some example embodiments, the trigger is configured to direct or redirect the client device <b>106</b> to a website upon the trigger being executed. In some example embodiments, the trigger is configured to, upon the trigger being executed, retrieve content (e.g., electronic documents) that is similar to the current electronic document. The similar content may be retrieved from the e-post publication system <b>124</b>. Further, in some example embodiments, the similar content is retrieved from third party servers, such as third party server <b>108</b>. The similar content may then be stored by the post series client application <b>110</b> for later display, or may automatically be displayed upon being retrieved.

0037In some example embodiments, the trigger is configured to, upon the trigger being executed, start a communication with a chat-bot or human agent of the provider of the electronic document or the series. In some example embodiments, the trigger is configured via the executable code to, upon the trigger being executed, submit a search to a search engine and display results. In those example embodiments, the executable code may specify a search string and a search engine server to perform the search upon the trigger being executed. The search string may include or otherwise specify keywords that are in the electronic document. For example, the electronic document may discuss ideas for things to do in a given city, e.g., New York City, and the trigger may be configured to search for flights to New York City, upon the user <b>199</b> swiping up. Once the gesture is received, the action engine <b>220</b> causes the client device <b>110</b> to transmit the search string to a search engine or flight website, and the results are returned for display on client device <b>110</b>, as according to some example embodiments. Accordingly, the trigger can be configured to perform other client device or network communication operations in a similar manner (e.g., configuring the executable code to perform the desired operation).

0038<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> illustrates a flowchart for a method <b>300</b> of performing a subscription request using a modification trigger, as according to some example embodiments. At operation <b>305</b>, the display engine <b>205</b> displays a first portion of an electronic document on the client device <b>106</b>. At operation <b>310</b>, a first gesture is received by the client device <b>106</b>. In some example embodiments, the first gesture is received directly on the first portion of the electronic document, through the touchscreen display of the client device <b>110</b>.

0039At operation <b>315</b>, in response to receiving the first gesture on the first portion of the electronic document, the display engine <b>205</b> displays a second portion of the electronic document. In some example embodiments, the display engine <b>205</b> displays the second portion of the electronic document using a scrolling transition (e.g., sliding the first portion off display while sliding the second portion onto the display). Other transitions, such as panning, sliding, fading in/out, may be similarly implemented to display the second portion of the electronic document.

0040At operation <b>320</b>, the interface engine <b>200</b> receives an indication that a second gesture was made on a second portion of the electronic document. In some example embodiments, the information is generated from the native operating system of the client device <b>106</b>.

0041As illustrated, operations <b>330</b>, <b>335</b>, and <b>340</b> may be included as part of a trigger operation <b>325</b>. In some example embodiments, the trigger operation <b>325</b> is executed when the second portion of the electronic document is displayed and a swipe up gesture is received on the second portion. The direction “up” may be relative to the orientation of the client device <b>106</b> or the orientation of the displayed application, where for example, the application display has been rotated 180 degrees responsive to the client device <b>106</b> being rotated.

0042Continuing at operation <b>330</b>, in response to receiving the second gesture on the second portion, the display engine <b>205</b> collapses (e.g., minimizes) the interface of the electronic document. In some example embodiments, the collapse of the interface of the electronic document includes removing from display the first portion, the second portion, and any other portions included within the body of the electronic document. Further, in some example embodiments, the collapsing of the interface of the electronic document includes removing from display the one or more portions and minimizing the electronic document to an icon within a primary application display area of the post series client application <b>110</b>.

0043At operation <b>335</b>, the action engine <b>220</b> generates a subscription request. In some example embodiments, the subscription request includes information such as the time at which the second gesture was received (e.g., operating system time of client device <b>106</b>, time of receipt of the gesture information by interface engine <b>200</b>), user data (e.g., username/password), verification tokens, client ID, network ID, payment information that may be included along with the subscription request. At operation <b>340</b>, the action engine <b>220</b> transmits the subscription request to the interface engine <b>200</b>, which transmits the subscription request through network <b>102</b> to API server <b>114</b> to application server <b>118</b> and finally to the destination, the electronic post publication system <b>124</b>. As described in further detail below, the electronic post publication system <b>124</b> may use the data in the subscription request to update information (e.g., subscription information) for user <b>199</b> in database <b>122</b> via database server <b>120</b>.

0044At operation <b>345</b>, the display engine <b>205</b> may automatically display future posts or electronic documents received from the electronic post publication system <b>124</b>. In some example embodiments, the posts received at operation <b>345</b> are posts or electronic documents published after the point in time in which the second gesture was received at operation <b>320</b>. The display operations of operation <b>345</b> may be automatically configured so that the client/server exchange patterns are reversed. For example, the one or more servers <b>118</b> may initiate communications with the post series client application <b>110</b> by pushing future posts or electronic documents to the client device <b>106</b> for automatic download and/or display.

0045<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> illustrates a flow chart for a method <b>400</b> for trigger execution, as according to some example embodiments. The operations of method <b>400</b> may be a sub-routine between the operation <b>320</b> (in which the second gesture is received) and operation <b>345</b> (which is an operation occurring in response to the trigger being executed) of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>.

0046As discussed, at operation <b>320</b>, the interface engine <b>200</b> receives an indication that a gesture has been received through the display screen of the client device <b>106</b>. The gesture may be in any direction, e.g., up/down, right/left with respect to the orientation of the client device <b>106</b> or displayed application.

0047At operation <b>410</b>, the trigger engine <b>215</b> determines whether the second portion of the electronic document is currently being displayed on the client device <b>106</b>. If the second portion of the electronic document is not displayed (e.g., the first portion of the electronic document is being displayed), then at operation <b>415</b>, the trigger is not executed. Alternately, going back to operation <b>410</b>, if it is determined that the second portion of the electronic is being displayed, then at operation <b>325</b>, the trigger is executed by the trigger engine <b>215</b>, thereby causing operations <b>330</b>, <b>335</b>, and <b>340</b> to be performed, as discussed above.

0048<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> illustrates a flowchart for a method <b>500</b> of executing the trigger, as according to some example embodiments. The method <b>500</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> may be combined with <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>, as illustrated. In particular, for example, the operation <b>315</b> involve displaying the second portion of the electronic document. When the second portion of the electronic document is displayed, at operation <b>505</b> the trigger is activated by the trigger engine <b>215</b>. The activation of the trigger at operation <b>505</b> occurs between operations <b>315</b> and <b>320</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>, according to some example embodiments.

0049In some example embodiments, the operation of activating the trigger at operation <b>505</b> is performed by loading executable code into a memory portion of the client device <b>106</b> in response to displaying the second portion. For example, the second portion can include embedded trigger code that activates the trigger when the second portion is displayed or rendered on the post series client application <b>110</b>. In some example embodiments, loading the second portion of the electronic document loads a control object into the memory of the client device <b>106</b>. The control object is managed by the client device <b>110</b> operating system, and is included natively as a feature that applications built for the client device <b>110</b> operation system can invoke, as according to some example embodiments. In those example embodiments, the control object activates and awaits receipt of gestures in a specified direction to execute the trigger. For example, the specified direction may be along the direction of navigation, e.g., an upward swipe.

0050At operation <b>320</b>, the interface engine <b>200</b> receives an indication from the client device <b>106</b> that the user of the client device <b>106</b> has made a gesture through the display screen. At operation <b>515</b>, the trigger engine <b>215</b> determines whether the received gesture is in the specified direction of navigation. If the gesture is not made in the direction of navigation, then at operation <b>520</b>, the trigger is not executed. If it is determined at operation <b>515</b> that the gesture received at operation <b>510</b> is in the direction specified, then the trigger engine <b>215</b> executes the trigger at operation <b>525</b>, thereby causing operations <b>330</b>, <b>335</b>, and <b>340</b> to be performed, as discussed above. After the trigger is executed, at operation <b>345</b>, the display engine <b>205</b> may automatically download and display future posts or electronic documents received from the electronic post publication system <b>124</b>.

0051<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> illustrates an interaction diagram between the client device <b>106</b> and the application server <b>118</b>. Although <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> illustrates a client device <b>106</b> and application server <b>118</b>, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates the client device <b>106</b> may perform the operations in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> through the post series client application <b>110</b>, and the application server <b>118</b> may perform the operations in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> through the electronic post publication system <b>124</b>. The operations of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> illustrate a method <b>600</b> for generating a subscription request in response to a modification trigger being executed.

0052At operation <b>605</b>, the action engine <b>220</b> identifies data for inclusion in the subscription request. The information may include a timestamp and client data. The timestamp is identified by looking up current client device <b>106</b> time or determining the time when the gesture was performed, or determining the time when an indication of the gesture being performed is received by interface engine <b>200</b>. The client data includes information needed to submit a subscription request, including one or more of the following: user identification, verification information (e.g., username, password, or authentication token), identification of the series of posts to subscribe to, and type of subscription (e.g., levels of service, frequency of publication, etc.), payment information for paid subscription, or other data needed to subscribe.

0053At operation <b>610</b>, the action engine <b>220</b> uses the information gathered at operation <b>605</b> and any network information (e.g., server address, requisite API data) needed to generate the subscription request. The generated subscription request is then transferred from the client device <b>106</b> to the application server <b>118</b>.

0054At operation <b>615</b>, the application server <b>118</b> receives the subscription request and uses the data in the subscription request to update a database, such as local database <b>122</b>, with the timestamp data and the client data of operation <b>605</b>. At operation <b>620</b>, application server <b>118</b> receives other series posts, such as additional electronic documents or other ephemeral posts for publication. In some example embodiments, the additional electronic documents or ephemeral posts may be received from third party server <b>108</b> through a post series generator app <b>128</b>. The electronic post publication system <b>124</b> receives the one or more additional series posts from third party server <b>108</b> and stores them in database <b>122</b> via database server <b>120</b>. A post may be identified via the post series engine <b>210</b> as belonging to a particular series via a series identifier tag or data value. Series from different third party servers may be stored by their respective identifiers in database <b>122</b> by the electronic post publication system <b>124</b>.

0055At operation <b>625</b>, the application server <b>118</b> transmits posts having newer timestamps for automatic download by client device <b>106</b> in response to a request checking for new posts from client device <b>106</b> or as part of a push operation.

0056At operation <b>630</b>, the client device <b>106</b> may automatically download the series posts. For example, the post series client application <b>110</b> may be configured to automatically download the newer posts without user interaction. In particular, when the post series client application <b>110</b> is initiated (e.g., starts-up) on client device <b>106</b>, the post series engine <b>210</b> may send a request to electronic post publication system <b>124</b> to check for any new posts published since the post series client application <b>110</b> was last closed. Further, in some example embodiments, the automatic download of operation <b>630</b> may be implemented as a push operation, where the client device <b>106</b> is configured to automatically download the pushed publications while the client device <b>106</b> is running. Further, in some example embodiments, when the post series client application <b>110</b> is closed or not running, the native operating system of the client device <b>106</b> may still receive notification of the push operation from application server <b>118</b> and create a push notification on the display of the client device <b>106</b> and/or download the new posts as a background process so that when the post series client application <b>110</b> is initiated, the newer posts may be retrieved from local memory of the client device <b>106</b>.

0057At operation <b>635</b>, the client device <b>106</b> may automatically display the newer series posts upon receipt. In some example embodiments, the client device <b>106</b> may download the newer posts and not display the content of the posts (e.g., first portion, second portion), but instead show an icon for the post (e.g., thumbnail) that indicates new posts have been downloaded. Example indications may include a visible modification of the default icon (e.g., read posts may be grayed out, but newer unread posts may be lighter or more vibrantly colored), animations, or visible overlay tags.

0058<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7A</figref> illustrates client device <b>106</b> implemented, as an example, as a smartphone having a touchscreen display <b>700</b> that allows a user <b>199</b> to interact with the post series client application <b>110</b>.

0059As illustrated, the post series client application <b>110</b> includes a display of a plurality of electronic documents represented by icons <b>777</b>A-C in a electronic document display area <b>707</b>, as according to an example embodiment. The plurality of electronic documents may be populated within display area <b>707</b> according to usage data of user <b>199</b>. The usage data may be collected and stored by client device <b>106</b> as user <b>199</b> uses post series client application <b>110</b>. The usage data, for example, may include one or more of the following: most commonly accessed electronic documents, most commonly accessed ephemeral posts, the type of content in the accessed electronic documents or ephemeral posts, geographical location data collected from the GPS sensor of client device <b>106</b> (e.g., location data indicating that user <b>199</b> is near London, New York City, etc.), or past subscriptions to series posts. In some example embodiments, the user <b>199</b> may navigate an electronic document catalog from which the user <b>199</b> may browse through different electronic documents for selection and subscription.

0060It is appreciated that the actual content of the documents (e.g., first portion, second portion) may not be displayed in the electronic document display area but rather be linked to by a corresponding icon for each document or documents in the series. For example, “Cheshire Social” may correspond to a series of electronic documents that are represented by an icon <b>777</b>A; “The Treacle Well” may correspond to a series of electronic documents that are represented by an icon <b>777</b>B; and “Hatter &amp; Hare” may correspond to a series of electronic documents represented by an icon <b>777</b>C. Though only three series and corresponding icons <b>777</b>A-C are depicted, it is appreciated that any number of series and icons may be displayed within display area <b>707</b>, for example, in an alternating manner (e.g., carousel scroll). When the user <b>199</b> selects one of the icons <b>777</b>A-C, the post series engine <b>210</b> retrieves the newest electronic document of the series from local memory of the client device <b>106</b> and loads it on the touchscreen display <b>700</b>. In some example embodiments, if the newest electronic document has not been downloaded to local memory of the client device <b>106</b>, the post series client application <b>110</b> may transmit a server request to electronic post publication system <b>124</b> requesting the latest electronic documents.

0061Further, according to some example embodiments, the post series client application <b>110</b> also displays a plurality of ephemeral posts in the ephemeral display area <b>715</b>. When user <b>199</b> selects one of the posts, the post series engine <b>210</b> may retrieve the latest post from local memory or electronic post publication system <b>124</b> and display it. The ephemeral posts may display an image, a video, and/or a text for a preconfigured duration of time before automatically being deleted or removed from the display interface of the touchscreen display <b>700</b>. The duration of time may be preconfigured by the creator of the post (e.g., another user), the post series client application <b>110</b> or the electronic post publication system <b>124</b>. As with the electronic documents, each ephemeral post may belong to a series from other users. For example, all posts from the user “Dromio” may be considered as part of the same series.

0062Continuing, assuming user <b>199</b> selects icon <b>777</b>A, the interface engine <b>200</b> will receive an indication from client device <b>106</b> that the user <b>199</b> has made a selection of the icon <b>777</b>A, which will trigger the post series engine <b>210</b> to retrieve the electronic document corresponding to icon <b>777</b>A and cause the display engine <b>205</b> to display the electronic document as illustrated in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7B</figref>.

0063<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7B</figref> illustrates an electronic document corresponding to icon <b>777</b>A. In particular, a top portion <b>710</b>A<b>0</b> of the electronic document <b>710</b>A is initially displayed when the electronic document <b>710</b>A is selected by user <b>199</b>. Electronic document <b>710</b>A is a multipart document, some portions on-screen and some portions off-screen, as according to some example embodiments. In <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7B</figref>, the top portion of <b>710</b>A is visible and on-screen, and other parts (e.g., <b>710</b>A<b>1</b>, and <b>710</b>A<b>2</b>) of electronic document <b>710</b>A, are off-screen but are displayed in the following figures when navigated to, as according to some example embodiments.

0064In some example embodiments, each portion (e.g., <b>710</b>A<b>0</b>, <b>710</b>A<b>1</b>, and <b>710</b>A<b>2</b>) of the electronic document <b>710</b>A fills the entire the area of a primary application interface area <b>111</b> (e.g., an area of the touchscreen display <b>700</b> where the running application is displayed, excluding the status bar along the top). The top portion <b>710</b>A<b>0</b> of the interface includes a title, descriptive text, and an action element <b>720</b>, according to an example embodiment. The action element <b>720</b>, in some example embodiments, is a non-active element of the multi-portion electronic document. The action element <b>720</b> may not be linked or associated with a control object but rather includes instructions that the user <b>199</b> may use to navigate through the multi-portion electronic document.

0065<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7C</figref> illustrates a user <b>199</b> making a swipe-up gesture through the touchscreen display <b>700</b>, as indicated by gesture indicator <b>725</b>. The gesture indicator <b>725</b> is illustrated to show that the direction of the gesture is not necessarily included or displayed on the touchscreen display <b>700</b>. In some example embodiments, the interface engine <b>200</b> or the client device <b>106</b> has configured logic to determine whether a display gesture is along the axis of navigation, e.g., whether the gesture is up, approximately up, or not up, based on an angle threshold. For example, a gesture beyond an angle threshold of 45 degrees may not be counted as being an up swipe or an up gesture.

0066<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7D</figref> shows the post series client application <b>110</b> navigating from the top portion <b>710</b>A<b>0</b> of the electronic document to the first portion <b>710</b>A<b>1</b> of the electronic document. The swipe received as indicated by gesture indicator <b>725</b> in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7C</figref> was along the axis of navigation <b>713</b> relative to the top portion <b>710</b>A<b>0</b> and the first portion <b>710</b>A<b>1</b>; that is, in the up-down or vertical axis. The axis of navigation is displayed as an upward arrow corresponding to an example embodiment where the reader swipes up, with respect to the primary application display area <b>111</b>, and the top portion <b>710</b>A<b>0</b> scrolls up out of view as the first portion <b>710</b>A<b>1</b> scrolls up into view, from the bottom of the primary application display area <b>111</b>.

0067<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7E</figref> illustrates the post series client application <b>110</b> displaying the first portion <b>710</b>A<b>1</b> of the electronic document corresponding to icon <b>777</b>A. Similar to the top portion <b>710</b>A<b>0</b>, the first portion <b>710</b>A<b>1</b> can also fill the entirety of the primary application display area <b>111</b> for client device <b>106</b>. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7F</figref> shows user <b>199</b> performing a second gesture <b>730</b> on the first portion <b>710</b>A<b>1</b> of the electronic document.

0068<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7G</figref> illustrates the transition along the axis of navigation <b>713</b> relative to the first portion <b>710</b>A<b>1</b> and a second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b> of the electronic document. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7H</figref> illustrates the post series client application <b>110</b> displaying the second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b> of the electronic document. As illustrated, the second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b> may also fill the entirety of the primary application display area <b>111</b> for the post series client application <b>110</b>. The second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b> includes an action element <b>735</b>. The action element <b>735</b> may be an indicator of interactions options that the user <b>199</b> can perform when the second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b> is displayed, though it is appreciated that the interaction options can be indicated from touching on any portion of the second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b>. For example, as explained with reference to <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref>, when the second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b> is displayed, a trigger is activated at operation <b>505</b> after which the trigger engine <b>215</b> may receive notification of any gesture anywhere in second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b>, not necessarily directly on the action element <b>735</b>.

0069<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7I</figref> illustrates the user <b>199</b> making an upward swipe display gesture <b>740</b> on the second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b>. As illustrated, the gesture <b>740</b> is along the axis of navigation <b>713</b>. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7J</figref> displays the actions responsive to display gesture <b>740</b>. In particular, responsive to gesture <b>740</b>, the interface of the electronic document including the top portion <b>710</b>A<b>0</b>, first portion <b>710</b>A<b>1</b>, and second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b> is collapsed, fades-out, or otherwise returns to a display of the home screen of post series client application <b>110</b>. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7K</figref> shows a return to the home screen of post series client application <b>110</b>.

0070The subscription operation is then sent out before, after, and/or during the transition from the second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b> to the home screen, as according to some example embodiments. As illustrated in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7K</figref>, a notification icon <b>745</b> may be overlaid on icon <b>777</b>A to indicate to user <b>199</b> that the subscription request has been submitted and the user <b>199</b> has subscribed to the series of documents identified as “Cheshire Social” or another identifier value that identifies “Cheshire Social series of posts. In some example embodiments, where network connectivity is low or zero, the notification icon <b>745</b> may still be displayed to show the user <b>199</b> the subscription request has been triggered. When client device <b>106</b> is able to connect to network <b>102</b>, the subscription request may be transmitted to application server <b>118</b>.

0071Further, responsive to the subscription request being received, the subscribed-to series may be placed in first (e.g., left most) among the plurality of electronic document icons <b>777</b>A-C in display area <b>707</b>. Further, responsive to the subscription request, the post series client application <b>110</b> may receive pushes from ephemeral posts of the series. For example, as illustrated, the “Cheshire Ephemeral Post” <b>750</b> is associated with the series posts and may be automatically displayed in the ephemeral display area <b>715</b>.

0072The modification trigger may also be used to collapse an electronic document and perform other actions via the action engine <b>220</b>, such as ordering a sample of an item discussed in an electronic document, as according to an example embodiment. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref> shows a flowchart for a method <b>800</b> of performing a sample request for an item using a modification trigger, as according to some example embodiments. At operation <b>805</b>, the display engine <b>205</b> displays a first portion (e.g., the first portion <b>710</b>A<b>1</b>) of the electronic document. At operation <b>810</b>, the interface engine <b>200</b> receives an indication (e.g., via operating system of client device <b>106</b>) that a first gesture has been made on the first portion. At operation <b>815</b>, the display engine <b>205</b> displays the second portion (e.g., the second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b>) of the electronic document. At operation <b>820</b>, the interface engine <b>200</b> receives an indication that a second gesture on the second portion has been received. Operation <b>825</b> is a multi-part trigger operation including operations <b>830</b>, <b>835</b>, and <b>840</b>. Operation <b>825</b> may be performed using the methods of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> or <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref>.

0073Continuing, at operation <b>830</b>, the display engine <b>205</b> collapses the interface of the electronic document, for example by removing from the touchscreen display <b>700</b> a viewing of the first, second or any other portion of the displayed electronic document. At operation <b>835</b>, the action engine <b>220</b> receives from the trigger engine <b>215</b> an indication that the trigger has been executed. For example, the trigger engine <b>215</b> references a specific function managed by the action engine <b>220</b>. Accordingly, at operation <b>835</b>, the action engine <b>220</b> executes the content of the function and generates a sample request for an item discussed in the electronic document. At operation <b>840</b>, the action engine <b>220</b> transmits, via the interface engine <b>200</b>, the sample request through the network <b>102</b> for fulfillment processing by the electronic post publication system <b>124</b> and/or the third party server <b>108</b>.

0074<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref> shows an interaction diagram of a method <b>900</b> for interactions between the client device <b>106</b> and the application server <b>118</b>. Although the client device <b>106</b> and application server <b>118</b> are illustrated in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref>, it is appreciated that the client device <b>106</b> may perform its corresponding actions of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref> through post series client application <b>110</b>, and further that the application server <b>118</b> may perform its corresponding actions of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref> through the electronic post publication system <b>124</b>. Additionally, the operations of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref> may be initiated by the action engine <b>220</b>. For example, at operation <b>905</b>, the action engine <b>220</b> identifies the item requested or the sample requested from the electronic document. In some example embodiments, the action engine <b>220</b> may request item metadata from the displayed electronic document that identifies the item to be ordered. Further, the action engine <b>220</b> may also retrieve other information for completing the order, such as user information, payment information, shipping information.

0075At operation <b>910</b>, the action engine <b>220</b> generates an order or sample request. At operation <b>915</b>, the application server <b>118</b> receives the sample request for the item. At operation <b>920</b>, the application server <b>118</b> may transmit a sample request to an order completion system that clears the payment using user payment information and submits an item order. In some example embodiments, the clearing of the payment transaction is performed by the third party server <b>108</b> using payment information provided by the application server <b>118</b>. In some example embodiments, the application server <b>118</b> is configured to clear payments internally within the network-based publishing system <b>104</b> using payment information received from the client device <b>106</b>. For example, the client device <b>106</b> may be part of an application marketplace or app store. The application server <b>118</b> may have pre-approved authority from the user <b>199</b> to complete transactions using the payment information of user <b>199</b>. Once the order has been submitted by the application server <b>118</b>, the application server <b>118</b> generates a display notification at operation <b>925</b>. At operation <b>935</b>, the client device <b>106</b> receives the display notification and displays the notification on the display device, e.g., touchscreen display <b>700</b>, of the client device <b>106</b>.

0076<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 10A-I</figref> illustrate interfaces of post series client application <b>110</b> for performing a sample item request using a modification trigger, according to some example embodiments. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10A</figref> illustrates a top portion <b>710</b>B<b>0</b> of the electronic document corresponding to icon <b>777</b>B being displayed on the touchscreen display <b>700</b> of client device <b>106</b>. Like the electronic document corresponding to icon <b>777</b>A, this electronic document includes multiple portions, including the top portion <b>710</b>B<b>0</b>, which is above a first portion <b>710</b>B<b>1</b> (see <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10C</figref>), which is above a second portion <b>710</b>B<b>2</b> (see <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10F</figref>). The top portion <b>710</b>B<b>0</b> may have an action element <b>1000</b> that indicates to the user <b>199</b> an available action that can be performed by selecting the top portion <b>710</b>B<b>0</b> and performing one or more gestures (e.g., swiping in an indicated direction) while viewing the top portion <b>710</b>B<b>0</b>.

0077<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10B</figref> illustrates the user <b>199</b> performing a gesture <b>1005</b> in an upward direction. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10C</figref> illustrates a transition between displaying the top portion <b>710</b>B<b>0</b> and the first portion <b>710</b>B<b>1</b> along the axis of navigation <b>713</b>. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10D</figref> illustrates the first portion <b>710</b>B<b>1</b> occupying the entire screen area of the electronic document as displayed within post series client application <b>110</b>. Notably, although the middle portion or first portion <b>710</b>B<b>1</b> does not display an action element such as action element <b>720</b> or action element <b>1000</b>, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that such an action element could be placed within any portion of the electronic document to indicate to a user how to navigate through the document.

0078<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10E</figref> illustrates the user <b>199</b> executing a display gesture <b>1010</b>. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10F</figref> illustrates the post series client application <b>110</b> transitioning between the first portion <b>710</b>B<b>1</b> and second portion <b>710</b>B<b>2</b> along the axis of navigation <b>713</b>. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10G</figref> illustrates the second portion <b>710</b>B<b>2</b> of the electronic document corresponding to icon <b>777</b>B. In contrast with the second portion <b>710</b>A<b>2</b> displayed in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7H</figref>, the action element <b>1015</b> in the second portion <b>710</b>B<b>2</b> indicates that user <b>199</b> will execute a modification trigger to automatically submit an order for the item mentioned in the electronic document (e.g., Dormouse Treacle, Sample Size 1 Oz).

0079<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10H</figref> illustrates the user <b>199</b> executing a display gesture <b>1011</b> to collapse the interface of the electronic document. As illustrated, in some example embodiments, collapsing the interface of the electronic document is completed by giving the appearance that the second portion <b>710</b>B<b>2</b> is scrolling midway upward through the primary application display area <b>111</b> of the post client series application <b>110</b>, then collapsing or minimizing the interface of the electronic document to its corresponding icon <b>777</b>B on the home screen of the post series client application <b>110</b>.

0080<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10I</figref> illustrates an example result of the collapse operation, as according to an example embodiment. As illustrated in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10I</figref>, the home screen of the post series client application <b>110</b> is displayed, and responsive to the modification trigger submitting the request for the sample, a overlay notification is displayed as notice <b>1020</b>. The notice <b>1020</b> corresponds to operation <b>935</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref>. Further notifications may include confirmation emails being sent from the application server <b>118</b> to an email account of user <b>199</b>.

0081Though three example portions of an electronic document are disclosed here for purposes of explanation, it is appreciated that an electronic document may include any number of portions (e.g., two, three, ten, etc.). In those embodiments, the terms “top,” “first,” and “second portions” may be referenced per the number and location within the electronic document. For example, a seven-portioned electronic document may have its portions referenced as first portion (top), a plurality of middle portions, the second to last portion may be the sixth portion, and the last portion may be the seventh portion. In those embodiments, the operations involving the discussed second portion (e.g., determination operation <b>410</b> in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref>) may then reference the last portion or boundary portion for a given electronic document. Further, in some example embodiments, it is appreciated that the trigger may be activated in other ways. For example, the trigger may be activated by detection of a boundary or border of the electronic document, and the trigger may be executed upon detection that the boundary has been reached and a swipe in the direction of the boundary has been performed.

0082Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules can constitute either software modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium) or hardware modules. A “hardware module” is a tangible unit capable of performing certain operations and can be configured or arranged in a certain physical manner. In various example embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone computer system, a client computer system, or a server computer system) or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) can be configured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) as a hardware module that operates to perform certain operations as described herein.

0083In some example embodiments, a hardware module can be implemented mechanically, electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, a hardware module can include dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured to perform certain operations. For example, a hardware module can be a special-purpose processor, such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). A hardware module may also include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. For example, a hardware module can include software executed by a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor. Once configured by such software, hardware modules become specific machines (or specific components of a machine) uniquely tailored to perform the configured functions and are no longer general-purpose processors. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware module mechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) can be driven by cost and time considerations.

0084Accordingly, the phrase “hardware module” should be understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or to perform certain operations described herein. As used herein, “hardware-implemented module” refers to a hardware module. Considering embodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware modules need not be configured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where a hardware module includes a general-purpose processor configured by software to become a special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor may be configured as respectively different special-purpose processors (e.g., including different hardware modules) at different times. Software accordingly configures a particular processor or processors, for example, to constitute a particular hardware module at one instance of time and to constitute a different hardware module at a different instance of time.

0085Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive information from, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardware modules can be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiple hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications can be achieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) between or among two or more of the hardware modules. In embodiments in which multiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at different times, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. For example, one hardware module can perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. A further hardware module can then, at a later time, access the memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. Hardware modules can also initiate communications with input or output devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of information).

0086The various operations of example methods described herein can be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanently configured, such processors constitute processor-implemented modules that operate to perform one or more operations or functions described herein. As used herein, “processor-implemented module” refers to a hardware module implemented using one or more processors.

0087Similarly, the methods described herein can be at least partially processor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors being an example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations of a method can be performed by one or more processors or processor-implemented modules. Moreover, the one or more processors may also operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples of machines including processors), with these operations being accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an Application Program Interface (API)).

0088The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed among the processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented modules can be located in a single geographic location (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other example embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented modules are distributed across a number of geographic locations.

0089The modules, methods, applications and so forth described in conjunction with <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 1-10I</figref> are implemented in some example embodiments in the context of a machine and an associated software architecture. The sections below describe representative software architecture and machine (e.g., hardware) architecture that are suitable for use with the disclosed embodiments.

0090Software architectures are used in conjunction with hardware architectures to create devices and machines tailored to particular purposes. For example, a particular hardware architecture coupled with a particular software architecture will create a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, tablet device, and the like. A slightly different hardware and software architecture may yield a smart device for use in the “internet of things” while yet another combination produces a server computer for use within a cloud computing architecture. Not all combinations of such software and hardware architectures are presented here as those of skill in the art can readily understand how to implement the present subject matter in different contexts from the disclosure contained herein.

0091<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref> is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine <b>1100</b>, according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Specifically, <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref> shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine <b>1100</b> in the example form of a computer system, within which instructions <b>1116</b> (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code) for causing the machine <b>1100</b> to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein can be executed. For example, the instructions <b>1116</b> can cause the machine <b>1100</b> to execute the flow diagrams of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9</figref>.

0092Additionally, or alternatively, the instruction <b>1116</b> can implement the interface engine <b>200</b>, display engine <b>205</b>, post series engine <b>210</b>, trigger engine <b>215</b>, and action engine <b>220</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>, and so forth. The instructions <b>1116</b> transform the general, non-programmed machine into a particular machine programmed to carry out the described and illustrated functions in the manner described. In alternative embodiments, the machine <b>1100</b> operates as a standalone device or can be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. Ina networked deployment, the machine <b>1100</b> may operate in the capacity of a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine <b>1100</b> can include, but not be limited to, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance), other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing the instructions <b>1116</b>, sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to be taken by the machine <b>1100</b>. Further, while only a single machine <b>1100</b> is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include a collection of machines <b>1100</b> that individually or jointly execute the instructions <b>1116</b> to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

0093The machine <b>1100</b> can include processors <b>1110</b>, memory/storage <b>1130</b>, and I/O components <b>1150</b>, which can be configured to communicate with each other such as via a bus <b>1102</b>. In an example embodiment, the processors <b>1110</b> (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) can include, for example, processor <b>1112</b> and processor <b>1114</b> that may execute instructions <b>1116</b>. The term “processor” is intended to include multi-core processor that may include two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as “cores”) that can execute instructions contemporaneously. Although <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref> shows multiple processors <b>1110</b>, the machine <b>1100</b> may include a single processor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores (e.g., a multi-core processor), multiple processors with a single core, multiple processors with multiples cores, or any combination thereof.

0094The memory/storage <b>1130</b> can include a memory <b>1132</b>, such as a main memory, or other memory storage, and a storage unit <b>1136</b>, both accessible to the processors <b>1110</b> such as via the bus <b>1102</b>. The storage unit <b>1136</b> and memory <b>1132</b> store the instructions <b>1116</b> embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions <b>1116</b> can also reside, completely or partially, within the memory <b>1132</b>, within the storage unit <b>1136</b>, within at least one of the processors <b>1110</b> (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), or any suitable combination thereof, during execution thereof by the machine <b>1100</b>. Accordingly, the memory <b>1132</b>, the storage unit <b>1136</b>, and the memory of the processors <b>1110</b> are examples of machine-readable media.

0095As used herein, the term “machine-readable medium” means a device able to store instructions and data temporarily or permanently and may include, but is not be limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), buffer memory, flash memory, optical media, magnetic media, cache memory, other types of storage (e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) or any suitable combination thereof. The term “machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, or associated caches and servers) able to store instructions <b>1116</b>. The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media, that is capable of storing instructions (e.g., instructions <b>1116</b>) for execution by a machine (e.g., machine <b>1100</b>), such that the instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the machine <b>1100</b> (e.g., processors <b>1110</b>), cause the machine <b>1100</b> to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein. Accordingly, a “machine-readable medium” refers to a single storage apparatus or device, as well as “cloud-based” storage systems or storage networks that include multiple storage apparatus or devices. The term “machine-readable medium” excludes signals per se.

0096The I/O components <b>1150</b> can include a wide variety of components to receive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information, exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/O components <b>1150</b> that are included in a particular machine will depend on the type of machine. For example, portable machines such as mobile phones will likely include a touch input device or other such input mechanisms, while a headless server machine will likely not include such a touch input device. It will be appreciated that the I/O components <b>1150</b> can include many other components that are not shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref>. The I/O components <b>1150</b> are grouped according to functionality merely for simplifying the following discussion, and the grouping is in no way limiting. In various example embodiments, the I/O components <b>1150</b> can include output components <b>1152</b> and input components <b>1154</b>. The output components <b>1152</b> can include visual components (e.g., a display such as a plasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., a vibratory motor, resistance mechanisms), other signal generators, and so forth. The input components <b>1154</b> can include alphanumeric input components (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumeric input components), point based input components (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instruments), tactile input components (e.g., a physical button, a touch screen that provides location and force of touches or touch gestures, or other tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., a microphone), and the like.

0097In further example embodiments, the I/O components <b>1150</b> can include biometric components <b>1156</b>, motion components <b>1158</b>, environmental components <b>1160</b>, or position components <b>1162</b> among a wide array of other components. For example, the biometric components <b>1156</b> can include components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measure biosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voice identification, retinal identification, facial identification, fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram based identification), and the like. The motion components <b>1158</b> can include acceleration sensor components (e.g., an accelerometer), gravitation sensor components, rotation sensor components (e.g., a gyroscope), and so forth. The environmental components <b>1160</b> can include, for example, illumination sensor components (e.g., a photometer), temperature sensor components (e.g., one or more thermometers that detect ambient temperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g., a barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphones that detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensor components (e.g., machine olfaction detection sensors, gas detection sensors to detect concentrations of hazardous gases for safety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other components that may provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding to a surrounding physical environment. The position components <b>1162</b> can include location sensor components (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver component), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters or barometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived), orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like.

0098Communication can be implemented using a wide variety of technologies. The I/O components <b>1150</b> may include communication components <b>1164</b> operable to couple the machine <b>1100</b> to a network <b>1180</b> or devices <b>1170</b> via a coupling <b>1182</b> and a coupling <b>1172</b>, respectively. For example, the communication components <b>1164</b> include a network interface component or other suitable device to interface with the network <b>1180</b>. In further examples, communication components <b>1164</b> include wired communication components, wireless communication components, cellular communication components, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, BLUETOOTH® components (e.g., BLUETOOTH® Low Energy), WI-FI® components, and other communication components to provide communication via other modalities. The devices <b>1170</b> may be another machine or any of a wide variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a Universal Serial Bus (USB)).

0099Moreover, the communication components <b>1164</b> can detect identifiers or include components operable to detect identifiers. For example, the communication components <b>1164</b> can include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components, optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detect one-dimensional bar codes such as a Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code, multi-dimensional bar codes such as a Quick Response (QR) code, Aztec Code, Data Matrix, Dataglyph.RTM., MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, Uniform Commercial Code Reduced Space Symbology (UCC RSS)-2D bar codes, and other optical codes), acoustic detection components (e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals), or any suitable combination thereof. In addition, a variety of information can be derived via the communication components <b>106</b>, such as location via Internet Protocol (IP) geo-location, location via WI-FI.RTM. signal triangulation, location via detecting a BLUETOOTH.RTM. or NFC beacon signal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth.

0100In various example embodiments, one or more portions of the network <b>1180</b> can be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), the Internet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a WI-FI® network, another type of network, or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, the network <b>1180</b> or a portion of the network <b>1180</b> may include a wireless or cellular network, and the coupling <b>1182</b> may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) connection, or other type of cellular or wireless coupling. In this example, the coupling <b>1182</b> can implement any of a variety of types of data transfer technology, such as Single Carrier Radio Transmission Technology (1×RTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth generation wireless (4G) networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, others defined by various standard setting organizations, other long range protocols, or other data transfer technology.

0101The instructions <b>1116</b> can be transmitted or received over the network <b>1180</b> using a transmission medium via a network interface device (e.g., a network interface component included in the communication components <b>1164</b>) and utilizing any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)). Similarly, the instructions <b>1116</b> can be transmitted or received using a transmission medium via the coupling <b>1172</b> (e.g., a peer-to-peer coupling) to devices <b>1170</b>. The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying the instructions <b>1116</b> for execution by the machine <b>1100</b>, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

0102Throughout this specification, plural instances may implement components, operations, or structures described as a single instance. Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that the operations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separate components in example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein.

0103Although an overview of the present subject matter has been described with reference to specific example embodiments, various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed. Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

0104As used herein, the term “or” is construed in the Boolean sense, e.g., “A or B” may include A, may include B, or may include A and B. Moreover, plural instances may be provided for resources, operations, or structures described herein as a single instance. Additionally, boundaries between various resources, operations, modules, engines, and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in a context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within a scope of various embodiments of the present disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate resources in the example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or resource. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single resource may be implemented as separate resources. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within a scope of embodiments of the present disclosure as represented by the appended claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.